About me

For the acquisition of a new language, there are learning paths and learning strategies that can vary from person to person. My exciting task is to design the content of language training so that language learners can achieve their individual goals. This is a continuous process that begins with a thorough analysis of the learning history, the learning strategies already used and the learning goals.

What has been your learning path so far? Did you take part in online or face-to-face training or did you acquire your knowledge through self-study? Do you like to learn with videos or a language app, or by regularly reading newspapers and specialist magazines? Do you like to write texts in German and thus learn the language through writing or in conversations with native speakers? In which situations in everyday life and at work do you use your language skills? What specific learning goals do you want to achieve? What communicative skills do you want to improve and what time frame do you have available for this?

I will ask you all these questions in an initial free consultation to find out what the content of a language training course tailored to your personal wishes and goals should be.

Personally, I spent a total of nine years in Lisbon and I acquired a good knowledge of the Portuguese language during this time. I took a language course in the first semester of my studies abroad. I was lucky enough to live in a student residence in the centre of the city. This way, I had daily contact with Portuguese students and was able to communicate in the new language right from the start. After just a few weeks, I completely abandoned English and spoke exclusively in Portuguese.

I had to prepare myself for every single situation in daily life and think about which vocabulary and which idioms I would use. I did this, for example, before visiting a government office or before a doctor’s appointment. And with every challenge I mastered, my confidence in my ability to express myself confidently and understandably in the new language grew. I learned a lot about listening and paid very close attention to the vocabulary my conversation partner used in every conversation. Of course, mistakes were my constant companions, sometimes leading to minor and sometimes funny misunderstandings. When I became aware of a mistake, I could always benefit from it and gradually improve my language skills.

In retrospect, I can say that for my personal learning success, the early language production was decisive.

One participant from Belarus, for example, wanted to go out with her friends to small talks in German can lead. In class, we first made a list of interesting topics. Then we chose a single topic and worked out an overview with vocabulary and means of speech. This step was then followed by the simulation of a conversation. Here, I paid close attention to which difficulties there were in the use of vocabulary and grammatical structures. For the weekend topic as an example, there were several verbs (on the topic of sleeping) that form the perfect tense with the auxiliary verb “to be”, so this structure was trained intensively. The participant was able to close her knowledge gaps and finally effortlessly report about her weekends in detail.

I would like to use this example to illustrate how I design the content of my lessons.

For me, the starting point is always the communicative goal of the participant.

What does he want to be able to do at the end of the language training? What specific vocabulary, what grammatical structures does he need? Which linguistic competences (for example: listening comprehension) does he need to improve?

After answering these questions, I consider together with the participant what form the lessons will take. How many appointments per week and with what duration are sensible? How much time does the participant have to plan each week for exercises outside of class? I determine the content of the lessons and set a time frame. I also discuss with the participant which forms of learning are suitable for him/her and provide him/her with the appropriate learning tools (for example: sets of flashcards, listening texts and videos).

In the course of a language training course, I then pay close attention to the learning progress made by the participant and change the lesson content and forms of exercise if I deem it necessary.

I look forward to getting to know your personal background and goals. A free trial session gives you the opportunity to find out if and how I can help you.

After I finished my studies abroad in Lisbon, I decided not to return to Germany. I applied for a job at a German retail company and was allowed to have my first professional experience there, which clearly showed me that a job in business did not match my personal inclinations and desires. However, I lacked the appropriate training for other professional activities and so I was unemployed for half a year until I thought about what other professional opportunities I had.

Since I was abroad, the idea of teaching German came to me quite quickly. And indeed, as a native speaker with a university degree, this was also possible. So my career as a language trainer began in 1996 with a course at the German technology company Siemens. After initial doubts, I quickly realised how much I enjoyed this profession. I had daily contact with people and could also use my creativity when designing lessons and writing exercises. Over time, in addition to the individual trainings at Siemens, I also supervised smaller group trainings at language institutes in the evenings, which was also a lot of fun.

At the beginning of the new millennium, there were several economic crises and as a result, language training at companies was no longer financially supported by the EU. This reduced my income significantly and I decided to return to Germany in 2003.

A new, foreign language opens a door to a new world and broadens our horizons. When learning this language, however, it is necessary to leave the comfort zone that our own mother tongue or the English language gives us to some extent.

Especially in the initial phase, it costs a lot of effort to communicate in the new language, as one still makes mistakes and the available vocabulary is still relatively small. In this situation, feelings of fear register in us, warning us not to show ourselves with something we have not yet mastered really well. These feelings of fear have to do with memories from our childhood, because as a child we learned to behave in such a way that we fulfil the expectations of our outside world.

Everyone knows these kinds of feelings that arise in us when, for example, we give a presentation in front of a large group of people or are the first to enter the dance floor at a dance event. You can’t fight and defeat these feelings. I know this from my own experience. In the course of my training as a soul coach, which included systemic constellation and consciousness work, I learned strategies for confronting these fears and transforming them into life energy.